Being an official language of the European Union, German is a widely spoken language worldwide and the most spoken native language in Europe. Over 100 million people in Austria, Switzerland (and of course Germany) speak German! The German language is in fact, the most widely-understood language after English and a popular second or third language choice in Europe alone.
Below is a list of 15 common words and phrases in German that’ll surely make you want to get started on your German language learning journey!
1. Hallo! – hallo! – Hello!
2. Was ist los? (informal) – vas ist los – What’s up?
3. Wie geht es dir/Ihnen? – vee geht es deer/eenen –How are you?
4. Danke, gut – dangke, goot – Good, thanks
5. Wie heißt du/Sie? – vee hei-st du/ zee? – What is your name? (Literally: How are you called?)
Or: Wie ist dein / Ihr Name? – vee ist dine/eer naameh?
6. Guten Morgen! – gooten morgen! – Good morning!
7. Guten Tag! – gooten tahk! – Good day!
8. Guten Abend! – gooten ahbend! – Good evening!
9. Schönen Tag! – ynen shurnen tahk – Have a nice day!
10. Auf Wiedersehen – owfveederzehn – Looking forward to seeing you again
11. Ja / Nein – yah / nyn – Yes / No
12. Danke – dung-keh – Thank you
13. Bitte – bit-teh – Please/ Welcome/ Excuse me
14. Hilfe! – hill-feh – help!
15. Sprechen Sie Englisch? – shprekhen zee eenglish? – Do you speak English?
Kick-start your German language learning by joining a group or one-to-one course today.